Gift ban for state officials would send a message

Though it’s made strides in recent years, Pennsylvania still has some of the most porous public accountability laws in the country.

The legions of lobbyists who try to steer the course of policy, for instance, are required to file quarterly reports on how much they spend on gifts and meals as well as what’s described as “direct” and “indirect” communication with elected officials and policymakers. But, at $250 for a gift and $650 for hospitality, the reporting thresholds are unnecessarily high.

When it comes to donations to political campaigns, it’s a free-for-all. Unlike the federal system, donors can contribute without limit.

And deep-pocketed interests do just that by regularly pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into the coffers of favored candidates. Only direct corporate contributions are banned. And candidates and political action committees are required to report how much they spend.

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But it’s not enough for lobbyists, political action committees and elected officials to follow the letter of the law. They need to adhere to its spirit as well.

And that’s why Pennsylvania lawmakers should join the company of their colleagues in about a dozen other states by passing a ban on gifts to elected and appointed state officials.

And Gov. Tom Corbett, who ran on a promise to make state government more transparent and accountable, but has yet to fulfill the full potential of that vow, should sign it.

Admittedly, it’s a small step. But it is one that would send an out-sized message.

The need for such a ban was brought home in vivid terms last week courtesy of Will Bunch, a reporter and blogger for the Philadelphia Daily News.

In a story published March 5, Bunch revealed that Corbett and first lady Susan Corbett had accepted $11,343 worth of gifts in 2010 and 2011. Among them were Pittsburgh Steelers playoff tickets, a yachting vacation and even Mrs. Corbett’s inaugural gown.

The gift-givers were lobbyists, lobbying firms and corporate interests that had business, or would have business before the state, Bunch reported.

The information was included in annual financial disclosure forms filed with the Pennsylvania Ethics Commissions. Each May, elected and appointed state officials must file paperwork revealing direct and indirect sources of income, directorships they hold, real estate holdings and gifts they have received in the previous calendar year.

Administration spokeswoman Kelli Roberts said the first couple “fully complied with both the letter and the spirit of our state’s financial-reporting laws. His campaign-finance report and his state ethics reports are both public documents, placed on a state website for all to see. The governor’s actions have always been, and will continue to be, transparent and free of any conflict of interest.”

Proceeding from the assumption that the Corbetts were not trying to hide anything — and there is no reason to think they were — the mere fact that the administration has to resort to such a contorted and legalistic argument is evidence enough that a ban should be enacted.

One of the signal failings of the elected class — both on the statewide and national level — is the stunning amnesia it develops when it comes to distinguishing between what they do and what the voters perceive.

Corbett or any other elected leader can proclaim from the rooftops that their ear cannot be bent — or their vote purchased — by Steelers tickets or a yachting vacation provided by a corporate executive or wealthy donor.

And that is likely true. But it’s still access that’s well beyond the means of the ordinary Pennsylvanian, whose interaction with the governing class is usually limited to a chance encounter along a rope line or some other public function.

As long as there’s even the suspicion that there are two sets of rules — one for the rich who have endless means to buy access, another for everyone else — then the political process is hopelessly compromised.

By just saying no to gifts, lawmakers and state officials can restore some of that faith.